Shower header-type spray devices commonly are used for periodically cleaning processing rollers in pulp and paper mills. Such spray devices include an elongated header having a plurality of laterally spaced, downwardly directed liquid spray nozzles which are adapted for directing a curtain of water or other cleaning fluid onto a processing roller during periodic or other required cleaning cycles. Since a single processing machine can include a multiplicity of such header-type shower spraying systems, significant cleaning fluid is used. To conserve cleaning fluid, it is common to collect the cleaning fluid during the course of a cleaning cycle, filter out the debris and contaminants from the fluid during a recycling process, and to reuse the cleaning fluid. Nevertheless, some solid particles and matter can pass through the filtering system which over time can plug or impede liquid flow through one or more of the nozzles of the header.
It is known for shower headers to include an elongated cleaning brush which can be rotated to cause the brush bristles to move across and clean the inlet apertures of the spray nozzles in the header. Heretofore, each time one or more of the spray nozzles becomes clogged, or during the regular cleaning cycles, it is necessary for an operator to go to the individual header and manually turn the cleaning brush of the header. Due to the multiplicity of such headers, which can be ten or more per machine, such cleaning process can be time consuming and tedious, requiring significant shut down in operation of the machine. It also necessitates that the operator go to each shower header, which can create a safety hazard to the operator due to wet and slippery surroundings.